200,000 Flee as Rwanda-backed Rebels Approach Congo Villages
The UN has announced that 200,000 people have fled their homes in eastern Congo in recent days, as Rwanda-backed rebels march on a strategic town.
This comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the Rwandan and Congolese leaders to proclaim peace.
In a statement, the UN said at least 74 people had been killed, mostly civilians, and 83 were admitted to hospital with wounds from escalating clashes in the area in recent days.
Local officials and residents said the Rwanda-backed M23 group has been advancing toward the lakeside town of Uvira on the border with Burundi and has been battling Congolese troops and local groups known as Wazalendo in villages north of the town.
Mr Trump, on Thursday, hosted the presidents of Rwanda and Congo in Washington for a ceremony to sign a pact affirming U.S. and Qatari-brokered commitments to end the war.
The U.S. president said, “Today, we’re succeeding where so many others have failed,” claiming his administration had ended a 30-year conflict that had led to the deaths of millions.
Reuters had earlier reported on Monday that the rebels had captured Luvungi, a town that had stood as the front line since February, and that fierce fighting was underway near Sange and Kiliba, villages further along the road towards Uvira from the north.
Rwanda denies supporting the rebels in Congo, although Washington and the United Nations say evidence of Rwandan backing is clear.
Prior to the latest upsurge in fighting, the conflict had already displaced at least 1.2 million people.
Reuters could not determine whether the rebels had captured Sange.
A local official and several local residents said they had fled ahead of M23’s expected arrival.
M23 said it had captured the town. A Congolese army spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The State Department said the U.S. was deeply concerned by the ongoing violence.
“Rwanda, which continues to provide support to M23, must prevent further escalation,” a spokesperson said.
In a speech to lawmakers, Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, accused Rwanda of violating the commitments it made in Washington.
A senior Trump administration official said Washington was monitoring the situation and working with both Congo and Rwanda.
“The president has made clear to both sides that implementation is what he will judge, and as he stated, he is expecting immediate results,” the official said.
(Reuters/NAN)